Sex Differences for Speech and Manual Skill

Abstract

Young men and women were compared on the speeded repetition of speech (ns = 20 and 18, respectively) and manual movements (ns = 37 and 38). The repetition of a single speech or manual movement was used as a measure of baseline speed, against which to compare a sequence of movements. Males tended to be faster at repeating a single movement, but using baseline speed as a covariate resulted in a female advantage for the repetition of a sequence of movements. It was concluded that men have a basic motor-speed advantage, but that women may be faster at programming a sequence of speech or manual movements. The results are discussed with respect to sexual variation in the neural organization of motor programming systems.